


Game of Love

by Rachello344



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Death Note, M/M, Valentine's Day, White Day, more tooth rotting fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 06:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6227029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachello344/pseuds/Rachello344
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Valentine's Day trilogy spanning from Valentine's Day to Light's birthday to White Day.  L may have trouble remembering dates, but he can't say he's disappointed with the results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. February 14

There were girls giving Yagami presents. Normally, L wouldn’t think anything of it, but instead of the usual one or two per day, there was a veritable _crowd_ surrounding his roommate.  Come to think of it, wasn’t his birthday coming up?  Was it _today_?

Well, it was a good thing he bought Yagami’s present in advance. He’d just give it to him later.

 

* * *

 

Light frowned at the box left in the center of his desk. It was small and, based on the handwriting, from Lawliet.  Why in the world would Lawliet give him a present on Valentine’s Day?

He reached out to touch it, but changed his mind last minute. No, he didn’t want to know yet.  He needed more time to think about it.  He had class in ten minutes anyway.  He’d just open it later.  That would be fine.

As he was leaving, he shot it another suspicious glance before shaking his head and leaving.

 

* * *

 

Lawliet still wasn’t back, but Light’s curiosity was going to drive him crazy. With the focus of a brain surgeon, he undid the ribbon.  Putting it aside, he eyed the box for another long moment, frowning at it.  It was just a present.

A Valentine’s Day present.

He took a deep breath, and pulled off the lid.

It was a beautiful, finely crafted watch. The style was simple—round face, brown band—but the detailing was _gorgeous_.  Light was never going to take it off—

Except this was a _Valentine’s Day present_.  From his _roommate_.  His _weird_ roommate.  Shit.  What was he supposed to do?  He wanted the watch, needed it even, but the holiday was…  But the watch his father bought him was broken, and he needed the watch.  But _Valentine’s Day._

The door burst open loudly, startling Light from his dilemma.

“Oh, dear,” Lawliet said. “Okay, so, I may have made a mistake today.”

Unsure what to do, Light raised his eyebrows, gesturing for him to continue.

“I knew your birthday was in February, and I saw you getting gifts, so I thought it was _today_ , but then a girl asked me out and it occurred to me that I may have gotten the date wrong.  I am almost positive that your birthday is not also Valentine’s Day.”

Light felt himself relax, laughing a little. “It’s not.  So this is for my birthday?”

“It is.”

“Then thank you for my birthday present. It’s exactly two weeks early, by the way.”

Lawliet nodded once, filing the information away. “The 28th, then.  I won’t make the same mistake again.  I’m truly sorry if I inadvertently made you uncomfortable because of my mistake.”

“Not at all. I was mostly just confused,” Light said, waving a hand vaguely.  Without any further dilemmas, he put the watch on.  It looked amazing, and felt _right_.  God, he’d missed wearing his watch.  Somehow, though, he felt a little disappointed.  The watch would have been the best Valentine’s Day present he’d ever received.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

“You’ve got a crazy sweet tooth, right, Lawliet?” Light asked, eyeing the precarious tower beside his desk.

“I love sweets, yes.”

“Please help yourself to all of those. I’ve already taken the two boxes of dark chocolate for myself, so the rest are all yours if you want them.”

“I feel like today is _my_ birthday.  Thank you, Light.”  Lawliet beamed at him, boyish and charming.  “Happy early birthday.”

Light smiled and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Admiring his watch, he thought this might be the best Valentine’s Day he’d ever had.  He was sure whatever the sense of loss was would fade within a day or two.


	2. February 28

When Light woke up on his birthday, he was unsurprised to find L still sleeping. On Saturdays and Sundays, L slept at least 12 hours through the night.  Light suspected he took some kind of sleep aid to manage it.  Yawning, Light got out of bed and got ready for the day.

He was going to meet his parents and sister for lunch in about four hours, which left him with plenty of time to get ready and get breakfast. He grabbed his toiletries and headed out the door.  He paused, glancing back at L.

When he was asleep, he looked so soft and rumpled. The dark circles under his eyes were still there, of course, but when he was asleep they seemed less jarring.  L made a soft noise and snuggled closer to his pillow.

Light shook his head and left. Whatever was wrong with him would not do to dwell on.

 

* * *

 

Light was getting ready to leave when L finally woke up.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Light said, smiling at L.

L made a discontent grumbly noise. His hair was even more of a mess than usual.  Light had the inexplicable urge to brush it himself.  L yawned, his nose wrinkling after.

After a long pause, he sat up straight. “I have something for you.”

Light turned back around, raising an eyebrow. “You already got me a birthday present,” Light said.

“I know, but,” L said, hopping out of bed. He rifled under his papers for a moment before emerging with a small box.  “This is for you.”  L handed him the box, motioning for him to open it.

Bemused, Light did as he was bid. The box was, beneath the paper, a box of chocolates.  Light met L’s eyes, his brow furrowing.  He fought down the blush that threatened to flood his cheeks.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Light.  They’re dark chocolate with espresso.”

Light shook his head, chasing off the weird direction his thoughts were going in. “It’s not Valentine’s Day, L.”

“I know.”

“You’re really something else, you know that?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“You also know that _girls_ give chocolate on Valentine’s, right?”

“Not in England. We don’t have a White Day, you know.”  L smiled, rocking back and forth.  “Are they acceptable?”

Light nodded, smiling at the box. “You’re one of the only people to take my taste into consideration.  Thank you, L.  Even though it’s no longer Valentine’s Day.”

L beamed before something occurred to him. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Light checked his watch and feigned alarm. “Oh, shit, is that the time?”

“Is _Light Yagami_ late?” L asked, eyes wide.

Light snorted. “Hardly, I’m still early.”  L rolled his eyes.  “Thanks, though.  And thanks again for the chocolates, L.  I’ll see you this evening, yeah?”

“Of course. Happy birthday, Light.  Tell your family ‘hi’ for me.”

Light nodded. “Will do.  See you later.”

Light thought about the chocolates and the watch all during lunch. His heart felt fluttery somehow, and whenever he thought about the gifts, his face felt warm.  He must be coming down with something.  That was the only explanation for it.


	3. March 14

Light hesitated. That on its own was uncharacteristic, but staring at the thing in question, he couldn’t quite recall what had possessed him to buy the thing in the first place.  It hadn’t been cheap.  His decision was reckless and foolish, but he didn’t want to return it either…

The panda bear was soft and adorable. It was also three and a half feet tall.

Light sighed.

Well, there was nothing for it now. He’d made his decision; he was going to stick to it.  Picking it up, he set it down on L’s bed with a short note and left for class.  It was a good thing L’s schedule called him away at such odd hours, or he might have come in while Light was still there.  That would have been… uncomfortable.

 

* * *

 

_L,_

_I saw this and thought of you. (The resemblance is uncanny, don’t you think?)  Seeing as I was obligated to return the favor, I went ahead and got it for you.  Happy White Day._

_-Light_

L stared harder at the note. Was there some hidden code?  Was Light in some kind of horrible danger?  Had he been taken hostage?  The note was in his handwriting, but maybe he was being held at gunpoint?  Surely there was a logical explanation for this.

But no matter how he looked at it, the panda bear was still on his bed, and the note still said it was a White Day gift.

Was Light joking, or did he want to ask L on a date?

When was he going to be back, for that matter? L had far too many questions and not nearly enough answers.

He hoped it wasn’t a joke. He was already rather attached to the panda.  It was so big and soft, and it was the first gift Light had ever gotten him—aside from the candy he got him for his birthday (three large bags to L’s delight).

Sighing, he flopped back on his bed and wrapped his arms around the panda. He closed his eyes, pressing his face into the fluffy fur.  It was exactly as comfortable as it looked.  Yawning, L nuzzled closer and allowed himself to doze off.  He wasn’t sure when Light was going to get back anyway, and he was finished with his work for the day.

When the door opened, L blinked awake, unsure how long he’d been napping for. It was already evening, so he guessed it was a while.  Light paused in the doorway, staring at him.  His cheeks looked a little pink.

“Uh, L, did you fall asleep on that thing?”

L nodded, fighting back a yawn. “It is quite comfortable, Light.  I am already quite fond of it.  Thank you for getting it for me.”

Light glanced away, shrugging. “I was only returning the favor.”

L nodded again, sitting up and sitting the panda against his headboard. “About that, Light, I wanted to ask if you had plans for dinner tonight.”

“Uh, no? Why?”  Light frowned, surprised into resuming eye contact.

“Excellent. I wanted to take you out tonight.  My treat.”  L paused, considering the blush across Light’s cheeks.  “I would like to consider it a date, but that much, I believe, is up to you.”

“You—Really? And here I thought I was going to have to make the first move,” Light muttered, the blush fading.  He shot L a small smile.  “Dinner sounds nice.  When do you want to leave?”

L took stock of himself. His stomach growled.  As Light laughed, L hopped to his feet.  “Now would be excellent.  It seems I’m hungrier than I was expecting.”

“You did take a nap in the middle of the day, L.”

“So I did, but only because my present from Light was so comfortable. It was hardly my fault.”

“I’m willing to take the blame,” Light decided. “After all, I got an insomniac a present that helped him sleep.  That’s much better than I could have hoped for.”

L ducked his head, smiling. Truthfully, the panda being from Light had been half the cause of its soporific effect.  Having a reminder of Light with him made it much easier to sleep, like the ease he’d begun dropping off with on weekends.  Knowing Light would be there was the only reason the dorm felt safe.

Hopefully, dating his roommate wouldn’t end up being some kind of horrible mistake. Looking at Light and the bright smile on his face, L didn’t think it would be.


	4. Epilogue

“You can go ahead and put your things in the guest room,” L said, gesturing down the hall, but otherwise not leaving his case file.

Light rolled his eyes. “You should be a better host.  They’re _your_ family.”

“But you make such a _good_ host, darling,” L said, glancing up at him from under his eyelashes.

Light sighed. “Fine, fine, but only because you’re cute.”  Turning, he smiled at Mello and Near, L’s foster brothers.  “The room is down the hall on the left.  I’m going to get you two some extra blankets, so I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“Yeah, okay, Yagami. I still think it’s weird that you and my brother are dating,” Mello said, eyes narrowed like he was suspicious.  Light snorted, but turned to get the blankets.

A minute later, Mello screamed. “ _What the fuck is that!”_

Light frowned, confused for a moment before he suddenly remembered. _The panda._ He spun around to meet L’s eyes and when their gazes met, they both burst into hysterics.  Light had completely forgotten that they’d put it in the guest room as a compromise.

Mello burst back into the living room, socks sliding him across the wood flooring gracelessly.

“What the _fuck?_ ” Mello demanded.

“Light got that for me on the day we started going out,” L said, smirking at his file. “It was both romantic and adorable. _I_ wanted to keep it in our bedroom.”

“I stand by what I said, L. I’d sooner toss it out the window than sleep with it in the same room.  Not to mention _sleep_ with you while it’s in the same room.”  Light gave an exaggerated shudder.  “It felt like it was _watching_.”

“I’m still not sure why you bring that up,” L said, sighing. “You _like_ being watched—”

Mello groaned loudly, covering his ears with his hands. “ _No, no, no,_ don’t _tell_ me these things. _God, no,_ I don’t want to think of my brother like _that_ ,” Mello whined, hunched over as if to defend himself.

“It’s perfectly natural,” L said, taking on a pedantic tone. “When two daddies love each other _very much_ —”

“ _No_ , that’s quite enough of that, thank you.  Would one of you please remove the monstrosity from the guest room?”  Mello kept his eyes closed, hands still on his ears.  “I am not touching that thing.  I won’t do it.”

Light laughed. “Such a drama queen.  I’ll move it, don’t worry.”

Light stepped into the room in question, surprised to see Near peacefully unpacking his small bag, several toys already placed on the other bed in the room. Light smirked.

“Dibs, huh?”

Near glanced up at him. His expression didn’t change, but Light could tell he was smug.  “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.  I wasn’t about to take Mr. Panda’s bed from him.  That would be rude.”

Light chuckled, scooping up the panda under one arm. “I like the way you think.”

Near only hummed, sitting on the bed and picking up his robot toy, moving its arms absently. “Thank you for letting us stay with you, even though we are not your family.”

Light blinked, surprised by the sudden tone switch. “Not…?  Of course you’re family.  You’re L’s brother, aren’t you?”

Near glanced up at him, eyes sharp. “So you consider me family because I am L’s brother?”

“Yes.”

“You must be quite serious about my brother if you already see me and Mello as family. In that case, I give my approval.  I will remind L that I have very steady hands when I next see him.”

“What?” Light tilted his head, confused.

“Is it not customary for someone else to carry the rings to the altar?” Near asked, guileless.

Light’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Finally, he shook the stupor off and turned to leave the room.  Near didn’t seem to have much else to say, after all.  As he left the room, Light couldn’t help but imagine L in a white tux, standing beside him.

When he made it back to the living room, setting the panda in one of the spare arm chairs, his eyes caught on L. He was still working, dark circles as deep as ever around his eyes.  He looked as much a panda as he did when Light first picked out the stupid stuffed animal on a whim, as when he bought Light chocolates, as when he gave Light his watch.

He rubbed the band absently.

Maybe this year, on their third anniversary, Light would ask him.

L glanced up as if feeling the weight of Light’s gaze. L smiled, opening his mouth to say something.

“Oh, _come on_ , I am _not_ sleeping in the bed the _demon panda_ was using!”

Light and L laughed together, loud and easy.

“There’s always something,” L said, still chuckling. “You’re sure you don’t mind putting them up, Light?”

“Of course not. Family is family, isn’t it?”

L’s smile gentled. “So it is.”

The way he was looking at Light made him feel like he might need to up his time table. It wouldn’t do to lose to L _again_.  L wasn’t going to get to make _every_ first move if Light could help it.  He wondered what kind of engagement ring L would like best.  He’d have to look around later.  Maybe while L was bonding with Near and Mello…

Light sat beside L at their kitchen table, taking his hand. L twined their fingers together and smiled.

“I’m glad we didn’t get the bigger condo I wanted,” L said. “I like hearing them bickering over the room down the hall.  It reminds me of growing up.”

“See? I told you, we don’t have the need for a space that big.  Not when it’s you, me, the panda, and one or two periodic guests.”

“Yes, yes, you’re always right.” L rolled his eyes.  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Light leaned in for a kiss, smiling against his mouth. “Too late.”


End file.
